Method of and apparatus for separating oil from water



March 6, 1928. 1,661,453

. F. WILKES METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING OIL FROM WATER Filed Feb. 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR March 6, 1928. r 1,661,453

F. WILKES METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING OIL FROM WATER Fi led Feb. 15, 1927 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 7 I NZIaEfNITOR Patented Mar. 6, 1 928.

UNITED STATES PATENT nor-Flea. 1

rannn'nrc wr xEs, or wnxmsBimo, PE NSYLVANIA METHOD OF AND AEPARATUS FOR SEPARATING OIL FROM WATER.

Application filed February 15, 1927. Serial No. 168,318.

7 Another object of my'mvention is to proi vide an improved means for lubricating mach-inery and for removing water from the lubricant.

Still another object of my invention is to simplify and improve generally the methods and apparatus for removing oil from wa t'er, or for separating other liquids of different specific gravities.

Some of the ways in which my invention may be practised are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a )ortion of a shaft-bearing structure and a lubricating system therefor,and Fig. 2 is an elevational view, partially in section, of an electrical transformer to which my invention is applied.

Referring to Fig. 1, I show an oil system for automatically maintaining a supply of lubricant within a bearing chamber 3. The lubricant supply is maintained in a manner imilar to that described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,579,586, issued April 6, 1926, and comprises an oil container or reservoir 45 that has screw-threadedconnection with an oil cup'f), and is provided with a check valve 6, which is normally held open by a stem 7 of the oil cup 5, to permit oil to flow from the reservoir 4 through a conduit 8-8 to the bearing 3. It will be understood that oil may be supplied to the chamber 3 from any other suitable source.

A motor shaft or other rotating member 9 extends into the bearing chamber 3 and is supported in suitablebearings, which may have water cooling passages 10. An oil ring 11 is loosely supported upon the shaft 9 and is slowly rotated during movement of body of oil within the bearing chamber, but leakage may occur from the passages 10; or in the case of a shaft which is employed to drive :a centrifugal water pump, leakage of water may take place along the shaft past stufiing boxes and bearings and accumulate in :the bearing chamber a to an obj ectionable degree.

' 1:111 order to remove such water as may gather within the chamber 3, I provide a device which will'now be describedz -.-Be'tween conduit sections "8 and 8, Iin troduce a well or water-collecting chamber 13, disposed at a point below the bottom of the oil chamber 3. Oil from the reservoir 4. will flow through the chamber 13 to the chamber 3, in the manner indicated by the arrows.

Any water present in such oil supply or which tends to accumulate in the chamber 3 will flow to the bottom oftlie well 13 in the manner indicated by the dotted arrows. An

overflow pipe .14 is provided through which water may rise from the bottom of the well 14. It will be understood that as water accumulates in the well 13, it will rise in the pipe 14, displacing which may have reviously entered said pipe, and eventually ow over the upperedge of such pipe. The water is prevented from backing up in the conduit 8 and in the chamber 3, by reason of the head of oil within said chamber, because the upper end of the pipe 14 is at about the desired normal level of the body of oil within the chamber 3, although such level may rise still higher above the upper end of the pipe 1 1, if a large amount of water has accumulated in such. pipe. The oil within the chamber 3 is therefore at all times'maintained substantially free of water. I

In Fig. 2, I have shown an electrical transformer casing 16 within which the primary and secondary coils (not shown) of the transformer may be mounted, the body of oil being provided for preventing overheating of the coils. In order to prevent overheating of the oil, water-cooling coils (not shown) are provided, these coils being supplied throu h a water inlet 17 and the water after passing through the cooling coils passes out through an outlet 18. v l

It is, of course, essential that no water be permitted to accumulate in the transformer chamber, and in order to prevent such accumulation, I provide a water-collecting any small amount of oil chamber 13 that has an overflow pipe 14 which extends to a point near the top of the transformer, an outlet 19 being provided at a point near the upper end of the pipe. A glass gage 20 is connected. at its ends, to the pipe 14", so that the level of the li aid within the transformer may be ohservec Water which enters the transformer chamber will flow out of the bottom thereof, through a conduit 21 to the chamber 13. and be forced upwardh through the overflow pipe 14", by reason of the head of oil in the transformer, as in the case of the structure of Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide means for maintaining a substantially water-free body of oil, and one that is sutlieiently separated from the water that has been removed therefrom as to avoid danger of inter-mingling of the oil and Water, as through agitation of the chambers containing the same, since the bodies of oil and water have communication with one another only through a conduit of small dian'ieter. It will also he seen that the invention is applicable to the separation of other liquids, of different specific gravities.

I claim as my invention:

The combination with a hearing having an oil reservoir box and a source of oil supply therefor, of a conduit leading from said source into the lower portion of the reservoir. a water-collecting: chamber disposed below the conduit and having communication therewith. and an overflow pipe extending: upwardly from said chamber to a. point above the conduit and not materially higher than the desired normal oil level in said reservoir.

In testimony whereof I the said FREDERIC lVILKEs have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERIC W ILKES. 

